The present invention relates to a device for storing and converting facsimile communications. More specifically, the present invention makes greater use of a facsimile machine, by storing a facsimile communication which is received.
Facsimile machines are devices for communicating image information between a local machine and a remote machine. Since the original advent of facsimile machines, they have been become progressively more sophisticated and complicated. One of the problems which the sophistication has caused is the incompatibility between different generations of facsimile machines, which operate in different facsimile formats. The first generation of facsimile machines is now known as Group I, and is almost completely outdated. A second generation of facsimile machines, called Group II, transmits analog information at a relatively slow pace (approximately six minutes per page). The current (1989) state of the art is known as Group III, and transmits information relatively quickly at approximately 1 page per minute. The information transmitted is in compressed digital form, using a relatively simple compression code (Huffman code and others), and is transmitted having different grades of resolution. By decreasing the resolution, the speed of sending can be increased.
Each time a new generation of facsimile machines has been introduced, it makes obsolete the previous generation of facsimile machines. Many Group III machines currently on the market can operate in Group II or Group III modes, and thereby allow communication with either Group II or Group III machines. Group II machines, however, were never designed for use with Group III and cannot be used with the incompatible Group III format. The Group II machines can not receive and decode nor encode the compressed digital signals produced in Group III.
Group IV facsimile machines are a practical certainty within the next few years. The introduction of Group IV will make the Group III machines obsolete, (or at least less desirable) and many facsimile users will buy a new machine just to get the faster speeds of Group IV.
Many of the currently available Group III machines are extremely sophisticated machines. Some machines have the ability, for instance, to print on plain paper. Moreover, the electronics and auto-dial functions of many of these machines are quite advanced and reliable. However, many people will sell or salvage these machines in their zeal to receive the state of the art Group IV machine.
Moreover, most of the cost of a facsimile machine, especially a complex one as described above, is the scanner and printer etc., while the actual communications electronics represent a less significant part of the cost.
Until the advent of the present invention, no satisfactory way was available for converting from a lower group (e.g., Group III) to a higher group (e.g., Group IV) in a machine that was not designed for this higher group. The faster transmission speed of the higher group has made it impossible to do a real time conversion between the two groups. I have first realized this problem, and have devised a technique to overcome this problem.
While overcoming this problem, I have also realized that invention enables significant advantages in other types of communications besides facsimile communications, and also provides advantages in facsimile communications other than mere conversion between one group and another. For instance, another problem in facsimile communications is in the field of secure facsimile communications. Secure transmissions involve sending encoded data to a remote facsimile machine. This remote machine cannot receive and print the data without the proper decryption key. The decryption key must always be supervised to maintain its security. Therefore, either an operator must be present with the machine at all times, or the machine is essentially useless during off-hours. If the machine receives the encrypted data without the encryption key therein, it will be received as gibberish. Until the advent of the present invention there has been no satisfactory way of dealing with this problem, and therefore secure facsimile transmission could only be sent during hours when it was known that an operator would be present with the decryption key.
The prior art of facsimile machines has also required that each one facsimile machine be provided for each telephone line, and vice versa. It was impossible to allow one facsimile machine to effectively service two telephone lines, as the facsimile machine would be busy whenever one of the lines was in use. The present invention enables one facsimile machine to service two lines or even more telephone lines.
Moreover, the present invention allows the fastest possible group of facsimile communications to be used, even when the site at which the invention is installed (the local) has only a lower group facsimile machine. This allows savings in the telephone bill, by minimizing the amount of telephone connect time. The present invention also enables time-shift-type sending to minimize the telephone bills by making use of off-peak hours to send the transmission. The time difference to most foreign countries, and notably Japan, is at least a few hours. Therefore, it makes sense to send many communications to these countries during the off-peak hours (typically beginning at 11 p.m. at night). However, this is currently not usually done, because an operator would have to be present to send it. Another aspect of the present invention enables it to be used for just such a purpose.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile time shifting and converting device which performs all of the above-discussed functions. The device of the present invention enables conversion from any one facsimile group to any other facsimile group now known or later devised. Therefore, any facsimile machine now in use will be compatible with any later facsimile formats via use of the present invention.
Another object of the present invention is to produce a device which time-shifts facsimile information that is received to a later time, to enable it to be properly processed at this later time.
Still another object of the present invention is to time shift facsimile sending until a later time to minimize telephone connect charges.
The present invention overcomes all of these problems in a new and unobvious way. Specifically, the present invention recognizes that all of these problems can be overcome by time shifting the facsimile communications. I have recognized that off-the-shelf audio equipment has a dynamic range which is at least as great as the dynamic range of any standard telephone line. Accordingly, I have recognized that such audio recording technology can be most advantageously used to record any signal from a fax machine. Of course, any other sound recording means or data recording means could be used in place of such audio technology. Once the data is stored on an audio medium, it can be processed as slowly as desired, since the constraints of real-time no longer need to be followed. The conversions of the present invention between groups are therefore done without regard to real time. The tape may be slowed to a half or a quarter its normal speed in order for this conversion to be carried out. Alternately, a circuit may determine certain characteristics from the signal and create an entirely new signal "emulating" the desired group in which to transmit.
The present invention includes means for communicating with a remote facsimile machine, that is sending and receiving the necessary handshaking signals to initiate the remote fax machine to send a message. This message is recorded. It is later played to the local fax machine by emulating a call coming into the local machine and playing back the converted signal.
According to the encryption technique of the present invention, data is detected as being non-standard facsimile format, and is stored on the audio recording means whenever this non-standard format is detected. Alternately, all incoming faxes could be stored to allow playback of any that are later determined after printing to be encoded. Any storage on the storing means initiates an indicator indicating that a reception has been obtained. Upon the user returning with the proper decryption key, the user initiates the storage means to play back the stored information. The stored information is then coupled to the facsimile machine with the decryption key in place, and the facsimile machine recognizes and decrypts the data being played back as though it were the original transmission from the secure facsimile machine. The device of the present invention provides the necessary handshaking signals followed by a playback of the facsimile transmission.
Finally, the device of the present invention enables a time-shifting mode in which the telephone number of the receiving facsimile is entered along with a command to wait until a certain time to transmit it. The present invention then stores the facsimile transmission to be sent, on a sound recording means, along with the proper data. At the proper time, the machine of the present invention begins dialing the proper telephone numbers, creates the handshaking signals necessary to communicate with the remote facsimile machine, and finally the recorded information.